Portable safe



2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

M. C. REGAN.

PORTABLESAFE. M rLlcATloN FILED sarna, 1920. 1,395,771.

M.. c. REGAN. PORTABLE SAFE.

APPLICATIONFILED SEPT.8, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

. Vrana/n@ infill/Awww?? PATENT o gnuclez.

PORTABLE SAFE.

Specflcation of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

v Application med september s, 1920.Y serial' No. 408,838.

To all whom/Many concern.'

Be it known that MICHAEL C. RECAN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Vashington, District'of Columbia, has invented certain new and usefulv Improvements in Portable Safes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a simply constructed portable safe or: container for holding stocks and bonds or other negotiable paper. Y'

Another object of my invention is to provide means whereby upon the surreptitious opening of or tampering with the container, the bonds or documents therein will be automatically marked with a number or other mark of identification which will either render the-'same non .negotiable or make it readily apparent that they have been tampered with.

Other and further objects of my invention will be in part apparent land -in part described as the specication is proceeded with.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification:

Figure 1 1s apperspective view of the safe Vor container;

Fig..2 is a sectionalview vthrough the safe or Vcontainer showing the marker in place; y

Fig. 3` is a sectional view of one of the containers partly broken away to show the groovedpor channeled walls;

Fig. 4 is asection on the line 4-4 of Fig- 1; Y. y l

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5--5 of Fig. 1;v z

Fig. 6 isa perspective .view of the stencil pad partly broken away tolshow the chemical containing channels or grooves; and r Y Fig. 7 is a modified form of stencil pad,and

Fig. 8 -is a fragmentary-side elevation of thelocking mechanism.

Referring more particularlyto `the drawings wherein -like reference'numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the severalviews-l `denotes thev Aupper endl2 the lower half of a double walled portable safe or container" B, preferably made ofV sheet steel or equally strong material, adapted to be slidably received within an outer locking container or housing 4, the construction and operation of whichwill be presently described in detail. Y Y

lThe container 3 is preferably rectangular in shape andis'formecl ofouter and inner shells or walls 5 land (Shaving a net work of communicatingV channels 7 therebetween formed'by grooving or channeling the outer wall or shell 5 on its inner face, which channels'are filled with suitable explosive chemical 8. The locking container or housing 4`is similarly constructed, that is, comprises outer andv inner shells or walls 9 and 10, the former being grooved yon'its inner face as at 11 to receive an explosive chemical 12 the purpose of which will be described hereinafter.

."Sui'tably secured lwithin the container 3 are oppositely disposed pairs of narrow spring metal rackplates or bands 13 and 14 4formed with transverse ledges or corrugations. The bonds or other documents 15 are placed .in the container 3 with their side edges/engaged between-the corrugations of the rack plates 13V and 14 in the following manner: First a papersuch as a bond, currency or the like 15 is inserted in place at the bottom of container 3, a marking or stencil pad or plate 16 is superposed thereon and then two bonds or papers placed upon the marking plate and so on until the container is filled, it beingunderstood that there v `may beat least two bonds'to each stencil pad. These marking or stencil pads 16 are made up of an intermediate sheet 17 of fiber board, asbestos or the like having letters or words cut therein forming grooves 18,:in which a chemical substance 19 is placed. In the present instance the words cut in the sheet 17 will when reproduced on the bonds vor other papers 15 indicate that kthe latter have been tampered with.

.Preferably the chemical substance 19 will be 4protected by a` thin coating of shellac or the like and on each side of the intermediate sheet 17 is placed a thin steel plate 20 having grooves or letters cut therefrom corresponding to `and registering with the letters or grooves 18 inthe plate 17. l

Surreptitious withdrawal of the bonds or papersy 15 from between the stencil pads 16 is prevented by means of oppositely disposed sharp pointed lugs orkprojections 21 formed by cutting or slitting the plates and bending the slitted portions slightly outwardly. Any attempt to withdrawthe bonds or papers from between adjacent pads 16 aswhere a messenger succeeds in cutting Vthrough the container walls, will result in tearing the papersin an obvious manner.

The pads 16 are formed with lateral extensionsr 22 corresponding to the extensions v retained in the container 3. If desirable a clamping member 33 may be employed for securely holding the documents 15 in place. rlhis member comprises top and bottom metallic plates 34 and 35 with a suitable chemical substance 36 therebetween adapted to communicate with a similary chemical substance 37 in grooves 38 formed in the side walls of the container 3.

1n Fig. 7, l have described a modified form of stencil pad comprising metallic plates 39 and 40 'having registering openings, such as letters41 cut therefrom. Interposed between these pla'tesis a fabric sheet 42 impregnated with a marking fluid such -as ink the purpose of which will. be described hereinafter.

The container 3 slidably fits within the opening 34 in the locking container or housing 4 and vis retained therein by means of a -pair of armsv 25 and 26 pivoted to the inner walls of the outer container 4 'as at 27 and 28. -These arms carrydisks or the like 29 and 30 at one end thereof adapted to nor- `mally Vseat in correspondingly shaped recesses 31 and 32 formed in the walls of the inner container 3 when the latter is inserted inthe outer or locking container.

The locking and'unlocking operation is .effected vby any suitable locking mechanism,

preferably that described and claimed in my copendingv application Serial No. 408,837,

filed Sept. 8, 1920,y and which may be very brieflyl described as follows: A plunger y43 is slidably'mounted ina 'cylinder 44 carried by a'casting 45 inturn mounted in the eX- 'tended en'd46 of the container or housing 4. This plunger is connected at its outer end with an operating knob or button 47 and at the other end carries oppositely disposed beveled lugs 48 and 49 adapted to engage corresponding lugs 50 and 51 formed on enlargements 31 and 32 on the ends of the arms 25 and 26 opposite to the ends which carry the disks 29 and 30, this operationbeing effected by pushingthe plunger 43 inwardly. As the plunger is pushed inwardly lugs 53 and 63 carried thereby which normally rest beneath ythe lugs 50 and 51 and maintain the arms 25 and 26 in locked position, are also moved inwardly lthus permitting the lugs 48 and 49 to engage the lugs 50 and 51 to rock the arms to inoperative or unlocked position. Springs 54 and 55 also serve to support the enlargements of the arms in an obvious manner. Y It is understood that the plunger43 is controlled by suitable Y locking mechanism plunger `58 into engagement with the spiral. slot 59 formed in the end of the plunger 43,

thus drawing the lugs 48, 49 into engagement with the lugs 50, 50 against the tension of spring 60, thereby releasing the grip of the spring arms on the container 3 inl an obvious manner.

Should an attempt be made to open'the containers by drilling'orv cutting the chemical substance contained between the walls of the containers and elsewhere will beV ignited by friction, it being understoodY that some chemical having the Vproperty of fulminate of mercury or friction match head paste will be used. The chemicalused will preferably be mixed with steel wool to increase the friction when drilled into and will alsopreferably contain a chemical which will lignite when brought into contact with water. Hence any .unauthorized attempt to reach the interior ofthe containers will cause the chemicals to burn and lsuch fire will quickly spread via the net work of grooves to the eX` tensions or lugs 22 and 23 of the marking pads and thence to the grooves 18 and chemiv cals therein. It will. be obvious thatV the letters, numbers or other characters or words cut in the marking pads will be reproduced by burning or scorching the same upon the papers or documents therebetween. vHowever the steel plates 2() effectually prevent the scorching or burning of the entire paper or document. The area of the document vwhich it is desired to mark or burn may of;

. course vary. c

Where the modified form of marking'pad illustrated in Fig. 7 is employedthe eXpansion of the gas givenofl' by the burning chemical is relied upon to cause the ink with which the fabric sheet 42 is saturated,

to flow through the grooves41 into the bondsY 15 thereby sufficiently marking the latter to greatly facilitate the detection of their theft should an attempt be made to dispose of the` same. i 1f water is introduced to the interior of the containers in an attempt to destroy the chemicals therein, this will have the same effect as drilling or cutting into the chemicals.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A portable safe comprising a vhousing having an opening extending therethrough,

a container adapted to be sl'idably inserted in said opening, and project therethrough,

said container having openings in its top and bottom walls intermediate the ends thereof, and spring arms pivotally carried onsaid housing having enlargements adapted to enter said openings for locking said container in said housing, and means for releasing said enlargements from said openings.

2. A safe comprising a container, the walls of said container being provided with a net work of grooves, a chemical substance in said grooves adapted to be ignited by friction, and means for holding papers in stacked relation in communication with said grooves whereby when said walls are drilled said substance will ignite and the portions of said papers adjacent said grooves will be scorched.

3. A safe comprising a container, stencil pads for holding papers therebetween, said pads having cut away portions adapted to expose a portion of the said papers, and chemical ysubstance positioned on the interior of said container adapted to ignite by friction, whereby said substance willignite and the exposed portion oi said papers c'will be marked upon the puncturing of the vwalls of said container with a mark corresponding to the coniiguration of said cut away portions.

4C. In a safe for holding papers, means for holding said papers in stacked relation, plates inserted between opposing papers having oppositely extending projections, whereby the withdrawal of said papers from between said plates will cause said papers to be mutilated.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

' MICHAEL C. REGAN. 

